Live Review- Better Lovers & Full of Hell @ the Orpheum

 On election night it would be pointless to sit around watching a TV show you something that you can't do anything about, so it made more sense to escape that by going to a "hardcore" show. First time catching a concert on the outside side at the Orpheum, thanks to the Florida weather in November it was barely noticeable we were outside until we got a breeze off the Bay.  SPY was taking the stage when we arrived. They were a punk band whose singer might have owned a Napalm Death album or two, all the songs sounded the same but kids liked shoving each other around on the concrete. Not sure how smart that is but, I was at the age when I did not care about shit like that either and I would have appreciated this band more at this age.

Originally, I agreed to go to the show to check out Better Lovers and did not think to check out who the opening bands were til this weekend so was excited to see Full of Hell was on the bill. I caught them back in like 2013 when they were opening up for Mutilation Rites. They crushed it then, but have evolved and perfected their craft in the past ten years. It felt similar in density to the last time I saw Deafheaven life they hit you with an intensity that they do not let up on. They pulled largely from their new album which I am fine with and in fact, it gave me a new appreciation for those songs. I already think it's one of their best albums, and I gave it a 9 on my initial listen, but the energy behind them is conveyed in an even more powerful way live. Their powerful live performance clicked everything in place and solidified me as a fan.

Better Lovers took the stage with a soundtrack that played various popular love songs mixed by the turning of the dial. This was my first time seeing Greg Puciato, I have had a deep appreciation of his other project and felt he was a good singer. His performance with the band comprised of former Every Time I Die was high energy and very professional it leaned on their newest album which was a wise move as those songs were more anthemic and worked more effectively live than if they just played their more chaotic heavier stuff, Since Full of Hell's performance was so intense they were not going to be able match their sheer heaviness, so taking a more rock approach worked well. I think if you go to this show expecting them to play Dillinger songs or Black Queen tunes you might be disappointed by they established themselves as their own entity. 

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